Politics · India · 8 hrs ago
TRAI requires 24-hour telecom complaint centres and human support
India’s telecom regulator, TRAI, has ordered operators and internet providers to run complaint centres 24 hours a day.
The centres may use AI, but they must provide human assistance for at least 16 hours daily and tell customers when they are speaking to AI.
The rules also allow penalties for complaints or appeals wrongly dismissed, up to ₹20 lakh per quarter in each service area.
The changes update complaint rules that were last revised in 2014, as complaints to TRAI rose from 44,733 in 2023–24 to 73,081 in 2025–26.
Customers will have 15 days to appeal a decision, and the appeals authority must decide within 15 days.
Operators must also offer complaint options through phone menus, apps and websites, provide updates by text or email, and support a state official language as well as Hindi and English.
TRAI will require quarterly reports on complaints and service performance, while companies will also have oversight committees to review how they handle grievances.
TRAI has directed telecom operators and internet service providers in India to run complaint centres around the clock, with human assistance available for at least 16 hours a day.
The amended rules allow AI agents to handle complaints but require human oversight and notice to consumers when they are speaking to AI.
Providers may be fined for complaints and appeals that are wrongly disposed of, with penalties capped at ₹20 lakh per quarter per service area.
The rules also shorten appeal deadlines and replace advisory committees with oversight committees at each service provider.
TRAI said it received 73,081 complaints in 2025-26, up from 44,733 in 2023-24.
- Who
- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India directed telecom operators and internet service providers to follow the amended rules.
- What
- Providers must run round-the-clock complaint centres and offer human assistance for at least 16 hours a day.
- When
- The amended regulations were reported on November 2, 2026; the rules were to be published in the gazette.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- The rules amend the consumer complaint redressal system. TRAI said the requirement does not necessarily mean maintaining the same level of resources around the clock.
TRAI
Telecom operators
Round-the-clock complaint centres
TRAI
Providers must run complaint centres 24 hours a day, with human assistance for at least 16 hours.
Telecom operators
Operators opposed the 24-hour requirement on grounds of disproportionate costs and limited benefit.
TRAI released the draft regulations and invited stakeholder comments.
The deadline for stakeholder comments on the draft regulations.
The deadline for countercomments.
TRAI held an open house discussion.
Hindustan Times reported that TRAI had issued the amended regulations and said they would be published in the gazette.
- Human support
- At least 16 hours a day
- Penalty cap
- ₹20 lakh per quarter per service area
- Appeal deadline
- Consumers have 15 days to appeal
- Complaint volume
- 73,081 in 2025-26
- Previous complaint volume
- 44,733 in 2023-24
What people are saying
does not necessarily imply deployment of the same level of resources 24x7
operate with appropriate human oversight
a notification
citing disproportionate costs and limited benefit